This invention relates to a printer and a method for executing a print job and storing print usage information.
For a printer manufacturer, it is very difficult to collect information about the usage of a printer in general, in particular to collect information about the user who requests a print job and the application which requests a print job.
This kind of information, however, is crucially important for the manufacturer in order to design printers that meet with users"" needs.
Collecting information about the usage of a device such as conducting market surveys and interviews is time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, the collected data may not be accurate, since they do not necessarily need to describe the actual usage activities of a user of a printer.
Furthermore, it is known from the HP DeskJet(copyright) Printer software, that a user can activate computer-based tracking of the print usage information by using a separate installed print usage-monitoring tool, if the user participates in a market survey conducted by Hewlett-Packard Company. When being installed, the usage-monitoring tool activates a special print usage-monitoring driver which generates a protocol file (log file) on the user""s computer. In this protocol file, the computer stores user information and application information, in general, print usage information.
This approach has the following inherent disadvantages:
A performance penalty is imposed in accessing the protocol file during the printing process and hence, the user""s consent is needed to activate the print usage-monitoring driver setting.
The print usage-monitoring driver does not collect the information for a group of users in a single location. Thus, the recovery of data in general, in particular of the print usage information, becomes rather difficult. The difficulties especially lie in the field of getting all users to activate the special setting of the print usage-monitoring drivers, identifying whether all users are printing to the same printer, and collecting the protocol files, which are stored in each user""s computers.
Furthermore, a separate software tool has to be installed on each user""s computer in order to activate the generation of the protocol file and the recovery process.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a printer and a method for executing a print job and storing print usage information, with which an easier collection of print usage information is achieved.
The object is met with a printer and a method for executing a print job and storing print usage information with features according to the independent claims.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a printer has a memory unit for storage of print usage information pertaining to at least one print job a period after the print job has been finished, wherein the print usage information characterizes the print job.
Furthermore, the memory unit temporarily stores print control information substantially during the execution of the print job, wherein the print control information is used to control the print job.
In contrast to the temporary storing of the print control information, the print usage information is stored not only substantially during the execution of the respective print job, but even for a period of time after the print job has even been finished. The print control information is only needed for the print job itself, whereas the print usage information is needed for a subsequent analysis of the usage of the respective printer. In other words, the print usage information is stored for a period of time even after the print job has been finished and the print control information has already been deleted.
In the context of this application, information about the usage of a printer (the print usage information) may include:
the number of users who send print jobs to a printer;
the number of print jobs sent by each user;
the names of applications used to generate print jobs sent to a printer;
the number of pages printed by each application.
However, it should be noted that the invention can be extended to collect other types of print usage information, in particular to collect other types of user information and/or application information.
The print control information may include control characters for controlling the printing process and the characters which are to be printed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for executing a print job and storing print usage information, includes the step of generating a print request by an application, which application is executed by a computer. The print request includes print control information and print usage information, wherein the print control information is used to control the print job, and wherein the print usage information characterizes the print job. In a further step, the print request is sent to a printer which is connected to the computer. After the printer has received the print request, the printer executes the print job which is requested in the print request according to the print information included in the print request. Furthermore, the print usage information included in the print request is stored, preferably a period of time after the print job has been finished, in a memory unit of the printer.
The central storage of the print usage information in the printer in particular has the advantage of an easy analysis of the users"" behavior and activities.
Further advantages of the present invention may be seen as follows:
The invention works regardless of whether the printer is a local printer used by a single user, or a network printer used by a group of users. In the case of a network printer, the information collected is the total sum for all users who print to the network printer.
By storing the print usage information centrally in the printer""s memory instead of storing the print usage information noncentrally on each of a user""s computer, the print usage information can be recovered by a person, for example by a manufacturer of the printer, very easily by generating a printer diagnostic page, or by querying the printer for the print usage information using a software tool. The printer diagnostic page may be sent to the printer manufacturer via facsimile.
Furthermore, the invention works transparently and does not require the user to install any additional software tool, in particular the installation of any print usage-monitoring tool.